Roll 'Bama Roll

Instead of arguing the two sides of the coin, we’ll just go ahead and look back at the 2005 r...

2010-03-21T01:10:06Z

Instead of arguing the two sides of the coin, we’ll just go ahead and look back at the 2005 recruiting class, widely considered a smashing success for then-head coach Mike Shula. The names are listed in the order in which they were ranked on Signing Day 2005, showing you that we’re not above poking a little fun at ourselves. There are quite a few surprises to behold, especially among several so-called "must-have" players who turned out to be anything but.

Jess Nicholas: Re-rating the Class of 2005

The always worth-reading Jess Nicholas has a review of the 2005 recruiting class up over at TideFans, and as typical it is very good stuff. I'll make two points in relation to a variety of things he mentions:

(1) People tend to forget it now, but this was a fairly highly-touted class. It was the second generally considered solid class in a row that Mike Shula signed, and many thought its members would eventually form the core of Alabama's return to national prominence. In a roundabout sort of way, that eventually turned out to be true -- Reamer, Washington, Deaderick, Davis, Upchurch, Johnson, Reamer, Sharrief, etc. all contributed a good deal to the Tide's 2009 national title run, and several others were key cogs of the 12-2 2008 team -- but it wasn't until the fourth year on campus that this class really took off, and that slow developmental lag got Shula fired in the interim.

(2) Jess does a pretty good job of highlighting some bad prospect evaluations that Shula had in this class, namely pursuing Sam Burnthall while ignoring Jerraud Powers, and also finding scholarships for wide receivers the likes of Nick Kyles and Travis Sikes while letting Earl Bennett walk out of state to play at Vanderbilt. I tend to find this to be a trend when looking back on recruiting in the Shula era. We had legitimate problems getting high-end players consistently, not to mention keeping players in-state and away from Auburn, but there tends to be a lot of these cases where Shula and company just mis-evaluated players, signing some head-scratchers that turned out to be busts while letting other plays walk without an offer from 'Bama on their way to stardom with other schools.

Ronnie Cottrell has found a new coaching job -- five months after getting fired at Bryant High --...

2010-03-20T22:56:01Z

Ronnie Cottrell has found a new coaching job -- five months after getting fired at Bryant High -- and it's in a familiar place.

Cottrell, a Brewton native who is best known for assistant coaching stints at Florida State and Alabama, is the new coach at Godby High in Tallahassee, Fla. Cottrell said he plans to begin his new job next month.

Josh Bean: Ronnie Cottrell snags high school coaching job in Florida

I suppose having Cottrell land at Godby isn't a huge surprise. If you will remember back to 2000, he helped us land ~~big-wide-receiver-recruit-who-inevitably-turned-into-a-complete-bust~~ Tarry Givens out of Godby. It's also the alma mater of Roy Upchurch. With Cottrell at Godby now, though, I imagine that we will probably try to stay clear of there. Nothing personal, mind you, but probably just not worth it.

Here is a pic of my grooms cake ifrom my wedding in December. It tasted great. It was a red...

2010-03-20T19:33:10Z

Here is a pic of my grooms cake ifrom my wedding in December. It tasted great. It was a red velvet cake with butter cream icing.

For the win, the girl, cheesecake brownies style.

2010-03-20T16:44:14Z

For the win, the girl, cheesecake brownies style.

Jim Bob Cooter (who instantly moves to the top of the all-time list of names that sound made up)...

2010-03-20T16:32:19Z

Jim Bob Cooter (who instantly moves to the top of the all-time list of names that sound made up) has been promoted from staff assistant to offensive assistant.

Pro Football Talk: Colts announce coaching changes

The legend lives on.

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:48:02Z

ed. - do it.

>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.

So we're rolling out this survey to learn more about you and your sports world. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete.

We really appreciate your time and this is also going to help make a donation to a good cause.

By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

You can take the survey HERE

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WYR2WQT

Thanks for your support!

March Madness Open Thread: Day Two

2010-03-19T17:15:07Z

Since it was so much fun yesterday, let's give it another go today. Put all NCAA Tournament discussion here, including your bracket-related meltdown material. Also, once again, since SB Nation rules the Internetz, Al Gore was kind enough to invent us this little widget so you can watch all the games live right from your computer. Ain't life grand?

Launch Player (opens in new window)

Head to Tuscaloosa

2010-03-19T13:41:19Z

ed. - bumped from the fanposts.

If you're anything like me, you usually wait until the last minute to make plans for the weekend. Then, Friday rolls around and you wish you had thought ahead because you would love to go out and have a little fun after a long and tedious work week.

Whether you're flying solo or keeping the kids, there's some relatively cheap entertainment to be had at the Capstone this weekend, and tonight is the biggest night for fun. Plus, you get to cheer for the Tide.

And you might even get to see Coach Nick Saban. Details after the jump. Check it out.

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Crimson Tide’s 2010 Southeastern Conference series opener against the Vanderbilt Commodores Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

The Crimson Tide and Commodores will meet at 6:35 p.m. at Sewell-Thomas Stadium and tickets will be available at the Sewell-Thomas Stadium box office beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth (12 and under).

That's right...not only can you see two top-25 teams clash on the diamond, but our own beloved CNS will be throwing out the first pitch. The weather is supposed to be perfect, and there's nothing like kicking back on a nice evening and watching a little Bama baseball. My favorite part: you can get the whole family in for less than $20 (unless you've got more kids than you need -- there's a procedure for that, you know). Anyway, these are the top two teams in the SEC. If you can't make it Friday, they play again Saturday and Sunday, and you can go to rolltide.com for further details.

But wait...there's more.

The No. 1 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team closes out its regular season slate this Friday at 7:30 p.m. with a home meet against No. 10 Michigan.

Tickets for Friday's meet are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262), at Tuscaloosa Toyota on Skyland Boulevard, and online at RollTide.com. The Alabama Ticket Office, which was closed for UA's spring break the last few days, will be open at 9 a.m. on Friday.

In case you missed it, Alabama is ranked number one in the country in gymnastics, and their final home meet is against top ten foe Michigan. Some of you may feel the need to stop reading now, but let me tell you, if you've never seen a gymnastics meet at Coleman, you're missing out. Really.

When I was a student at Alabama, we used to win national titles like Coach Bryant's football teams. Even though we were an elite force, I never gave much thought to actually attending a contest, until my niece was in town and needed a chaperone. She was thrilled that I would take her, and I thought I was just doing my good deed for the week...until the meet started. My jaw dropped, and it must have stayed that way until we left. I've seen incredible athletic feats on the football field, but few gridiron collisions have left me wincing like the thought of one of these athletes having a collision with a balance beam or 'horse' while attempting the acrobatics that were on display.

Anyway, the emergence of Georgia as a national power helped to keep us as only a top five team in most recent years, but we won the SEC last year, and the Bulldogs have a new coach. In short, Alabama Coach Sarah Patterson smells blood. And she's looking to take it out on Brian Cook's girlfriends tonight.

So, you can order a pizza and stare at the big blue box, or you can hit campus and watch one -- or both -- of our nationally ranked teams at their finest...and catch a glimpse of CNS in the process (that's right..."The Process").

Roll Tide.

Football coach Nick Saban will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Alabama baseball's 2010 SEC...

2010-03-19T13:15:35Z

Football coach Nick Saban will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Alabama baseball's 2010 SEC series opener against Vanderbilt at 6:35 p.m. Friday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

The Bama Beat | al.com

In case the 14-1 start to the season under new coach Mitch Gaspard wasn't enough to get you to the ballpark...

The first practice was meant to announce an arrival. A departure overshadowed it. Derek Dooley...

2010-03-18T23:40:18Z

The first practice was meant to announce an arrival.

A departure overshadowed it.

Derek Dooley officially debuted as the coach at Tennessee. But the curtain apparently has closed on Bryce Brown as a Vols running back.

The former No. 1 recruit in the country was a no-show as UT took the field under Dooley for the first time on Thursday afternoon, one day after the new coach indicated Brown hadn't approached him about possibly leaving the program.

"As of now he's not a part of the team," Dooley said.

Go Vols Xtra: Dooley on Bryce Brown

It's hard to call this one a surprise, as I myself openly speculated about the possibility a few weeks back. Nevertheless, it now seems official that Brown is gone from Knoxville. Isn't it only fitting given the rest of the Kiffin era at Tennessee? I imagine it's only a matter of time before he joins his sister at Kansas State.

March Madness Open Thread: Day One (With Special Widgety Bonus!)

2010-03-18T14:29:34Z

Okay gang, since none of you will be doing any work today anyway you can all spend the day talking about how awesome/screwed your bracket is here, and since SBN owns the internet CBS Sports has given us this handy little widget so you can watch all the games live right from your computer. Its a wonderful time to be alive....

Launch Player (opens in new window)

Just saw college wide reciever JULIO JONES, dude is huge, I need to get in the weight room asap

2010-03-18T00:55:27Z

Just saw college wide reciever JULIO JONES, dude is huge, I need to get in the weight room asap

Twitter: Chad Ochocinco

Bama's Greatest Games

2010-03-18T00:20:39Z

ed.- bumped from the fanposts. good list.

Memories of this past season still keep me warm at night: Roy Upchurch's annhilation of a Virginia Tech DB on his way across the goal line in the season opener, Trent Richardson's unbelievable TD run versus the Hogs, Rolando McClain's all-everything performance against Kentucky, Mark Ingram's Heisman-winning night against the Gamecocks, Julio's fastest-man-alive TD versus LSU, Greg McElroy's MVP performance vs. the Gators, Marcel Dareus's ownership of the Longhorns, Cody 5, Blocky Stop, the chest bump. 14-0. BCS champs. Perfection.

I own a book some of you may have called Greatest Moments in Alabama Crimson Tide Football History (released in 2002 by The Tuscaloosa News). Obviously, there's nothing in there about this past year's awesomeness. And, although I love the book, it strikes me as odd that it starts with the 1926 Rose Bowl (omitting everything before it) and ends with our 2000 triple-overtime loss to Michigan (followed by Zow's big win over Auburn in 2001). I just don't understand how a loss can be considered one of the greatest moments in Tide history...or how everything before 1925 could be overlooked (especially Xen Scott's historic win over Penn in 1922).

Anyway, since the University chooses to recognize 13 national titles for the University, I decided I would list what I consider to be our 13 greatest moments on the field. I did not attempt to rank them, so they are presented in chronological order. Knowing our fanbase (especially those here at RBR), I'm guessing there will be a few nominations for games I left off this list, so please feel free to comment and let me know what they are. My top 13 appear after the jump. Enjoy.

(1) 1922, Nov. 4: Alabama 9, Pennsylvania 7 (Philadelphia). As many of you know, Alabama football, and Southern football in general, was considered inferior to the brand played in other parts of the country, particularly the Northeast. Although our first national championship team changed that for good, the landscape had already been altered dramatically by Coach Xen Scott's 1922 squad when they traveled to Philadelphia and beat Penn on their home turf. If you own a copy of Talk of Tide (John Forney and Steve Townsend), you may remember reading an interesting and amusing article with Al Clemens, who played for the Tide that season. Below is my favorite excerpt from that interview:

They (Penn) had an All-American lineman named Thurman. We were going to pretend Thurman didn't exist.

Our game plan was to run right at him. During the game, between the plays, we'd say, "Where's Thurman? We thought he was supposed to be some All-American. When's he going to show up?"

We got him so upset, he slugged our fullback W.C. Baty.

The referee put him out of the game. He was a great player, and we dominated the game after that point.

Clemens also notes that that evening after the game, the team hit the town together with Coach Scott cradling the game ball. People would ask him what he was carrying, and Scott would say, "It's gold, just as good as gold."

Coach Wallace Wade came to Alabama the following year, as Xen Scott was dying of cancer, and Wade would lead the Tide to unprecedented heights soon enough. However, the win over Penn in 1922 was the first signature win for a Southern team against a Northern opponent, and at their place. In Forney's book, he notes that this game was played 'less than 60 years after Appomattox,' which further highlights the importance of this particular game. Like the great Rose Bowl win in 1926, this game meant something, not only to Alabama, but to people all across the South.

(2) 1926, January 1: Alabama 20, Washington 19 (Rose Bowl). This game still exists for many as the biggest in Alabama's history, if not the history of the entire region. It was the first of three for legendary coach Wallace Wade (Alabama's first national title-winning coach and the first nicknamed "Bear"). The 1925 team featured a smart and tough All-American QB in Pooley Hubert and an amazingly fast runner in future screen legend Johnny Mack Brown. Their team had allowed only one score prior to their Rose Bowl matchup with Washington, in a 50-7 victory over Birmingham-Southern College. Nevertheless, Alabama found themselves behind 12-0 at the half. Coach Wade's halftime speech consisted of one statement: "And they told me Southern boys would fight." That 'speech', combined with an injury to Washington's own All-American George Wilson and two missed PAT's by the Huskies, gave Alabama what it needed to mount the comeback and garner the Tide's first ever Rose Bowl victory and Alabama's first ever national championship.

(3) 1930, October 18: Alabama 18, Tennessee 6 (Tuscaloosa). Despite the fondness many of us have for Phillip Doyle's FG to beat the Vols in 1990, this game from Wallace Wade's final season in Tuscaloosa still stands as the Tide's greatest over one of our most hated rivals. Alabama featured All-Americans John Suther and 'Football Freddie' Sington...plus a sometime FG kicker named J.B. 'Ears' Whitworth. This team would emerge as national champions after trouncing Washington State 24-0 in Wade's final game for Alabama, but the win over UT was the biggest of the season. The Volunteers entered the game with an astounding 34-game winning streak, and this would be General Neyland's only loss of the season.

(4) 1935, January 1: Alabama 29, Stanford 13 (Rose Bowl). Frank Thomas's first national championship squad featured the greatest receiver in the history of the game and the greatest coach in the history of the game, the starting end and the 'other end', Don Hutson and Paul 'Bear' Bryant, as well as Riley Smith, Tarzan White, and Dixie Howell, whom famed sportswriter Grantland Rice dubbed 'the human howitzer from Hartford, Alabama' after his breathtaking play in this drubbing of Stanford. A Rose Bowl record 85,000 attended the game and were privileged to witness the greatest passing game yet seen in Pasadena. Hutson caught TD passes from Riley and Howell, who finished the day with 160 yards passing plus 111 on the ground.

(5) 1946, January 1: Alabama 34, USC 14 (Rose Bowl). 93,000 watched Alabama destroy the perception that USC could not lose in the Rose Bowl. The Tide outgained the Trojans 351 to 41 yards in the contest, and both of Southern Cal's scores came in the fourth quarter after Alabama had already sealed the deal. Perhaps the greatest player in Alabama history, Harry Gilmer passed for a mere 59 yards, but added 117 on the ground, in addition to his usual duties at DB and as a return man. Although no Alabama team outshines this one statistically, and they finished the season without a loss, this is not one of the ones that the University numbers among its national title teams. Still, USC was 8-0 in Rose Bowl games before this matchup, and the defeat would be so painful that the Rose Bowl committee decided that their future games would only pit Pacific 10 teams against teams from the Big 10.

(6) 1962, January 1: Alabama 10, Arkansas 3 (Sugar Bowl). Led by its stellar defense (the Tide outscored its opponents 297-25), Alabama finished the regular season with five straight shutouts before heading down to New Orleans to play the Hogs for all the marbles. During the regular season, Bama literally added insult to injury as Darwin Holt leveled Chick Graning with a near-lethal, and possibly illegal, blow to the face. The game would serve as a primary motivator for Bobby Dodd and Bama rival Georgia Tech to leave the SEC. The Tide was led by the late great QB Pat Trammell, as well as Lee Roy Jordan, Billy Neighbors, Bill Oliver, and Mal Moore, to name a few. A Sugar Bowl record 82,910 witnessed the game, and it was Bama's first Sugar Bowl win in three tries. This game gave Coach Bryant his first of six national titles as head coach. Afterward,he claimed that this was "the best team I've been around."

(7) 1966, January 1: Alabama 39, Nebraska 28 (Orange Bowl). Sloan to Perkins was the theme of the first half, and a few completions to Jerry Duncan from his position at tackle led the rules committee to take note of a change it needed to make before the following year. Alabama started the season with a one-point loss to Georgia and ended up with a 7-7 tie with Tennessee after Kenny 'Snake' Stabler spiked the ball on fourth down with the team in field goal range. Still, the third-ranked Tide found itself in national title contention after the first- and second-ranked teams went down earlier that day. Bama rushed for 222 yards, and -- although it led the nation with 290 rushing yards per game -- Nebraska was held to only 145 on the ground...even though it outweighed Alabama's line by 35 pounds per man. After Alabama won a national title the previous year even though it lost its bowl game, the rules committe made sure the voting would happen after the bowls, allowing the Tide to emerge victorious a second straight year.

(8) 1971, November 27: Alabama 31, Auburn 7 (Legion Field). Delbert Reed of The Tuscaloosa News dubbed it 'the most gigantic football game ever played in the South'. Johnny Musso was on crutches for almost three weeks prior to the contest -- he only ended up with 167 yards on 32 carries and two TDs. He also threw a 17-yard pass to Wayne Wheeler. Auburn's Heisman winner, Pat Sullivan, went 14-27 for 121 yards...and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Bama QB Terry Davis went 9-11 for 105 yards and added 43 yards on the ground. All three were outshined by Bama's stiff defense, which held Auburn well below its season averages and handed the Tigers its first loss of the year, giving undefeated Alabama the SEC title.

(9) 1979, January 1: Alabama 14, Penn State 7 (Sugar Bowl). After Alabama fumbled the ball in its own territory in the fourth quarter, Don McNeal made an incredible tackle at the one to set up the greatest play in Alabama history, the Goal Line Stand. Before the play, Bama's Marty Lyons famously told PSU QB Mike Guman, "You better pass." When the Nittany Lions opted to run instead, LB Barry Krauss knocked himself out stopping the play...and earned himself lifelong adoration from Crimson Tide fans.

(10) 1985, November 30: Alabama 25, Auburn 23 (Legion Field). After a beautiful 74-yard scamper by Gene Jelks gave Alabama a fourth-quarter lead, Auburn scored with about a minute to play to go up 23 to 22. The Tide found itself at its own 20 with one timeout and 57 seconds to play. It was just enough, as heroics by Mike Shula and company left Alabama's Van Tiffin 52 yards away from glory. The Kick stands forever as the greatest moment in Iron Bowl history.

(11) 1993, January 1: Alabama 34, Miami 13 (Sugar Bowl). Miami entered the game with a 29-game win streak and dissed our players in the French Quarter and at the coin toss. However, after coaches Stallings and Oliver made Heisman-winning QB Gino Toretta look like a scared child with bookends Copeland and Curry, a fierce linebacking crew, and the greatest defensive backfield Alabama's ever had, the Hurricanes died down quickly. They wouldn't score a single offensvie TD, Alabama would outrush them 267-48, and George Teague would make the greatest non-play in college football history. It was 13 years after Bama's last national title, and it would be 17 years until we would win another, which brings us to...

(12) 2009, December 5: Alabama 32, Florida 13 (SECCG). The second-best team in the country (ranked first) gets crushed by the best team in college football history (ranked second). Greg McElroy goes insane with passes, runs, blocks, and bunny-hops to win the MVP over the so-called 'greatest player in college football history'. Mark Ingram seals the deal on Bama's first Heisman, Marquis Maze runs wild, P.J. Fitzgerald tackles one of the fastest men in America, and the defense shuts down Urban Tebow to capture our first SEC title since 1999 and maintains Alabama as the only team to win at least one conference title each decade since league inception. Oh, yeah...and it sets up...

(13) 2010, January 7: Alabama 37, Texas 21 (BCSNCG). Bama's 13th title against a team it had never beaten. The only team to ever beat 10 bowl teams in a season. The first 14-0 national title winner from the SEC. The only coach to win two BCS titles at different schools. Thank you, Marcel Dareus, Eryk Anders, Javier Arenas, Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Butkus winner Rolando McClain, Mount Cody, Leigh Tiffin, Mike Johnson, Julio, CNS, and every member of the greatest team ever. Roll Tide.

"I am very pleased with the outcome of my preliminary pencil study for 'A Crimson Tradition. Weeks...

2010-03-17T20:51:11Z

"I am very pleased with the outcome of my preliminary pencil study for 'A Crimson Tradition. Weeks of research and work went into developing and executing the drawing. Although this research and drawing stage doesn't take as long as the actual painting process, the overall image itself and most of the artistic considerations are developed during this time. Aside from the refinement capabilities that working in oils provides (and the obvious addition of color), I will make some minor modifications to the actual painting. As this is always the case with the transition of my drawings to paintings, it is also part of the purpose in doing them.

Gentry Estes: Artist Daniel Moore discusses 'A Crimson Tradition'

Mike "Pup Dog" Ellis is one of those Alabama Crimson Tide fans you know who eats, sleeps and...

2010-03-17T04:26:33Z

Mike "Pup Dog" Ellis is one of those Alabama Crimson Tide fans you know who eats, sleeps and breathes Alabama football.

You can imagine how big of a thrill Alabama’s national championship season has been for him. You probably cannot imagine how big of a thrill for him it was to get a surprise visit from one of the biggest stars from that team, defensive lineman Terrence Cody.

"I was in tears right off the bat when he walked in through here. By no means did I expect Terrence to be coming through the door. It was just kind of more than we could stand at the time. He was smiling the whole time," Ellis said.

Ellis is battling a life-threatening cancer, and though he was not expected to make it through last September, he continues to fight on to this day.

Daily Home: Bama legend Cody makes house call

"I feel like they are very aggressive on most first and second downs with the strong safety playing...

2010-03-16T23:29:36Z

"I feel like they are very aggressive on most first and second downs with the strong safety playing a big role in run support. But they also hedge their bets by dropping into Cover 1 or Cover 3 in an effort to take away the big play off play-action. Alabama, like other 3-4 teams, can walk an outside linebacker up to the line of scrimmage, effectively giving it a four-man front.

"Finally, they excel in underneath, matchup zone coverage, which is to say players don't just let receivers catch the ball in front of them and then make the tackle. They match up and track players when they enter the area of the field they are responsible for. This requires a great deal of discipline and communication to prevent breakdowns in the coverage.

"This is why Saban is so great at what he does in my opinion. It's not only his obvious football acumen. It's also his ability to communicate with his players and minimize human error on game day."

Nick Saban's influence spreading back into the NFL? | al.com

Emphasis mine

Per New Life Art, this is the pencil sketch of the second piece Daniel Moore will be doing in his...

2010-03-16T22:44:59Z

Per New Life Art, this is the pencil sketch of the second piece Daniel Moore will be doing in his series "The Greatest Season Ever."

Your mileage may vary, but personally I'm a huge fan. Think about it... all the awesomeness of Dareus' touchdown? Check. Trent and Ingram running it down their throats? Check. Dareus knocking out McCoy? Check. Anders knocking out Gilbert? Check. Saban hoisting the crystal ball? Check. Confetti raining down on the whole thing? Check. Final score plastered on Texas players? Check.

What the hell is there not to love?

The latest [rumor] to gain momentum regarding UA football is that field turf, or some form of...

2010-03-16T17:25:02Z

The latest [rumor] to gain momentum regarding UA football is that field turf, or some form of artificial turf, will be installed at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Not going to happen, according to Thad Turnipseed, UA’s director of athletic facilities
.
"Zero chance," he said. "It hasn’t even been discussed."

Tommy Deas: No field turf for Bryant-Denny

So much for the FieldTurf in Bryant-Denny in 2010 rumor. I still find the entire matter to be an interesting question -- and regardless of what we do, the playing surface at Bryant-Denny does need to be dramatically improved -- but for now UA has shot down any and all rumors of FieldTurf being installed in Bryant-Denny any time soon.

Play the SoBe Lifewater™ Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge

2010-03-16T15:27:42Z

ed. by Todd - yeah, yeah, this is a sponsored post, but instead of doing a CBS/ESPN/whatever bracket where all you get is bragging rights, I figure you we might as well have one where you could actually win something.

This post is sponsored by SOBE.

Admit it. Now that the college basketball tournament bracket's been set, you and millions of other fans will attempt to prove to friends, family, co-workers, and any stranger who will listen without punching you in the face that they are all idiots and that you can pick a better bracket than they can. Whether you fill out your bracket by crunching numbers, hurling darts, imagining cage matches to the death between rival mascots, or consulting your clueless teenage daughter who picks teams based on how cute the uniforms are, enter this year's bracket in the SoBe Lifewater Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge for a chance to win up to $10,000,000.

Simply follow the link to submit your bracket for a chance to win the following prizes:

The chance to win $9,000,000* if you pick a perfect bracket (all 63 games, excluding the play-in game).
The chance to win up to $1,000,000 if you are the top scorer in each round.
The chance to meet a celebrity if your bracket beats a celebrity bracket. You can choose to play against E!'s "Kendra" star Kendra Wilkinson; former NBA player and TNT analyst Kenny Smith; former NFL great and Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice; and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Brooklyn Decker.

* Paid out as a 40 year annuity or adjusted lump sum.

So why limit yourself to bragging rights over colleagues and neighbors? Aim for the prize money. After all, this is your year, right?

The Future of FieldTurf

2010-03-16T13:00:31Z

When artificial turf first made its way onto the market in the mid-1960's under the name of "Chemgrass," disdain was largely the response from the purists and traditionalists in the sporting world , but many of a more pragmatic mold hailed the new technology. Not only did it allow for the rise of dome stadiums -- beginning with the Houston Astrodome in 1966, at which point its named was changed to AstroTurf -- but many felt it provided a more consistent playing surface, was more durable, and others found cost savings by not having to spend money paying for groundskeepers and materials to maintain a natural playing surface.

It didn't take long for AstroTurf to become all of the rage in the sporting world. AstroTurf LLC opened a manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia in 1968, and soon its product was found in sporting arenas all over the country. By 1974, even the Super Bowl was being played on AstroTurf, the World Series followed in 1975, and the new technology helped spur a construction boom for indoor sporting venues. By the late 1970's, AstroTurf was everywhere in the SEC, and when the SEC Champion made its annual trip down to the Big Easy, it played on the green artificial carpet of the Louisiana Superdome. And as nearly all Alabama fans will recall, AstroTurf was also put down in Legion Field.

As time moved on, however, skepticism of the synthetic carpets began to rise. Physicians and team medical trainers began to document that players were injured at a greater frequency on the artificial surfaces, including an assortment of injuries such as torn knee ligaments, concussions, ankle sprains, and increased muscle soreness. Other injuries, such as turf burns and turf toe, were almost entirely unique to artificial turf. Confirmations from academic studies came in the coming years.

When the harsh realities of the artificial surfaces became more undeniable, there began a growing pressure to rip up the carpet and re-install natural grass surfaces. Florida went back to grass when Steve Spurrier arrived in 1990, and many others soon followed. Legion Field went back to natural grass in 1995, and by the end of the decade games on AstroTurf became a rarity. In 2004, the parent company of AstroTurf filed for bankruptcy.

With AstroTurf all but dead by the turn of the new millennium, a new product suddenly came to the forefront, FieldTurf. The new surface was composed of monofilament polyethylene blend fibers tufted into a polypropylene backing, and in layman's terms was intended to more closely replicate real grass. Early studies into the impact of the surface found that it reduced the risk of injuries when compared to AstroTurf, and it didn't take long for the new kid on the block to start eating away at market share. FieldTurf first appeared in an NFL stadium with the opening of Qwest Field in 2002, and it soon spread throughout college football as well. Several major programs now have FieldTurf instead of grass -- including Texas, Ohio State, and Nebraska -- and it has been used in the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility in Tuscaloosa for many years now. Fourteen NFL venues currently have a form of the product installed.

But is it really that much safer, and does it truly replicate the impact of having a natural grass playing surface? Perhaps not. A study recently conducted by the NFL did not reach that conclusion, far from it in fact. Consider the following blurbs from Pro Football Talk and NBC Sports:

The NFL's Injury and Safety Panel presented a study today finding that anterior cruciate ligament injuries happened 88 percent more often in games played on FieldTurf than in games played on grass, the Associated Press is reporting.

The rate for the ankle sprains was 32 percent higher on FieldTurf than on grass. MCL injuries and a less serious type of ankle sprain also happened more frequently, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Admittedly, these findings should be taken with somewhat of a grain of salt. NFL league spokesman Greg Aiello explicitly said that further study was needed, and (naturally) the FieldTurf President Eric Daliere said the study was flawed. To be more precise, specifically:

FieldTurf president Eric Daliere argues that the panel's methods are faulty and cites research by Montana State professor Michael Meyers that has been published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Meyers' work, though, has only looked at high school and college football, and not the NFL. FieldTurf paid for Meyers' recent study that found lower overall injury rates for college games played on the surface.

Daliere's response is hardly surprising given his financial and emotional stake in his company, but in all fairness more study is clearly needed at this point. Perhaps FieldTurf is inherently more dangerous, perhaps this study by the NFL indeed was a flawed one. Perhaps FieldTurf increases injuries in the NFL -- where the league has the resources to maintain grass surfaces at a very high level -- whereas FieldTurf decreases injuries at the collegiate level (where resources are nowhere near as plentiful). Again, more study is needed before we can reach any definitive conclusions.

So why is any of this relevant on an Alabama football blog?

Well, whether true or not, there has been a lot of rumblings lately that Alabama will be moving to FieldTurf in 2010. In fact, this rumor has even reached the point of finding its way to the Bryant-Denny Stadium Wikipedia page:

Prior to the 2010 season, the traditional grass surface will be replaced with the new "Field Turf" design.

(Naturally, citation needed).

Maybe that's true, maybe that's not. We make it a point here at RBR to emphasize that we analyze and provide commentary, but do not actively report news or confirm or deny rumors. We'll see in time if there is any fire underneath all of this smoke.

Nevertheless, I do suppose that at the least it is a legitimate possibility. We have had serious issues with the natural grass in Bryant-Denny for as long as I remember, and frankly things haven't really improved. Each and every year, things look good enough at the start of the year, but by mid-season the field is generally a wreck. We played on AstroTurf for more than two decades, so it wouldn't exactly be a major shock to see us install FieldTurf.

If we go down the FieldTurf route, however, it should only be done after the most intense of considerations. Simply put, injuries translate directly into losses. If your players are injured at higher rates, and are saddled with more serious injuries, that creates a direct competitive disadvantage to your (relatively) healthier competition. With that in mind, between games and scrimmages Alabama plays approximately 14 games per year in Bryant-Denny Stadium (real and simulated), and if FieldTurf indeed does significantly increase injuries, then it probably follows that we will likely see an increase in injuries if we indeed rip up the grass. Again, that impact would definitely create a competitive disadvantage for our beloved Tide. None of this is to say that we should stay away from FieldTurf, and admittedly the situation is more complicated than I have sketched here because there are so many moving parts to this equation, but it is to say that if we do decide to install FieldTurf, we should only do so after the most intensive and exhaustive investigative process.